Representatives Fought for School Aid

Gazette Reader, posted on April 16, 2009

As residents of Larchmont and Mamaroneck, we were pleased to learn that some of the projected cuts to our schools were restored due to federal stimulus funding made available thorough the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Credit for these funds should go not only to President Obama but also to our federal and state elected officials: Congresswoman Nita Lowey, State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer and Assemblyman George Latimer.

Although federal funding was made available to New York State, there was no guarantee that it would be allocated to each school district in proportion to the percentage of aid lost. Our elected officials fought to make sure that our community would indeed receive its fair share to make up for cuts proposed by the governor due to the state’s fiscal problems. We also want to credit them for fighting against the MTA payroll tax which would be an additional $200,000+ annual hit to our school budget.

Members of our community must fight against the notion that we are an entirely affluent area that deserves little governmental support for our educational system; especially given the significant costs of unfunded state mandates. We applaud the efforts of our elected officials on our behalf, and look forward to a continued partnership with the Mamaroneck School District.